Electric coupling



oct, 9, 1921s F. M. RCSENZWEIG ELECTRIC COUPLING Filed March v1:5. 1924ATTORNEYS d APatentedvv Oct.l 9, 1928.

- UNITED sTATl-:s

PATENT OFFICE.

FRED M. ROSENZWEIG, 0F NIAGARA FALLS, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE REGANSAFETY DEVICES COMPANY, INC., 0F NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION 0F NEWYORK.

vistnozrriaic COUPLING.

This invention relates to an electric couplmg device, and has specialreference to the provision of a coupling device for connecting vehiclecarried electrical circuits in automatic train control systems.

In automatic train control systems of the type disclosed for example inthe application of Shaver & Rosenzweig, Ser. No. 673,088, filed Nov. 6,1923, to which the present linvention appertains, a plurality of vehiclecontrol circuits are carried by the engine and tender of the train,these circuits being interconnected so as to selectively produce aplurality of different train indications or effects in response tovarying roadside or trafic conditions. l

When the tender is coupled to and luncoupled from the engine of thetrain, it 1s highly desirable that the partial circuits carried by thetender be connected to and disconnected from the partial circuitscarried by the engine With rapidity and ease. A further desideratum inconnecting these partial circuits is that of maintaining the identity orintegrity of the separated circuit parts, as by keeping the connectingparts which differ .in potential effectively insulated one from theother and from ground. Another important consideration in the connectingof the tender and engine partial circuits is that of providing for readyassembling and disassembling of the connecting parts for purposes ofquick inspection and repair.

A rime object of the present invention therefore relates to theprovision of an electric coupling device especially intended for servicein train control systems designed so that the circuits may be quicklycoupled and uncoupled, with the parts so designed' and arranged that theintegrity of the connections may be maintained and the connectionsinspected and repaired if necessary, with facility and convenience.

To the accomplishment Iof the foregoing and such other objects as willhereinafter appear, my'invention consists in the elements and theirrelation one to the other, as hereinafter particularly described andsought to be defined in the claims; reference being had to theaccompanying drawings Which show a preferred embodiment of my invention,and in Which:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional View of the electric couplingdevice ofv my invention,

Fig. 2 is and l Fig. r3 is a horizontalview taken in crosssection ontheline 33, Fig. 1.

Referring now more in detail to the drawings, the coupling devicecomprises a casing a side elevational view thereof,

C formed of two mating casing sections c' and 02 detachably connectedtogether by means of the spaced bolts 10 and 10 held by the aperturedextensions 11 and 11 which preferably are formed integrally With theWall of the casing section c', the said bolts being preferably threadedat their loWer` ends for reception in correspondingly threaded aperturedlugs 12 and 12 which form part of and are preferably formed integrallywith the lower casing section c2. For the purpose of preventing thecomplete outward movement and loss of the bolts 10, 10 the same may bethe tender and engine partial circuits are inl sertable from oppositeends of the casing unit, the top casing section c being threaded' as at15 and the bottom casing section c2 being threaded as at lf for thereception of correspondingly threaded conduits. For the purpose ofpreventing the entry of moisture l and other foreignmatter at thejunction of Athe casing sections, the top section c is preferablyprovided with a circumferential skirt ,portion 16 fitting over andoverlapping the top of the casing section c2.

As has heretofore been stated, a prime object of the present inventionrelates to the provision of a coupling device in Which the circuitconnecting parts are associated to maintain the integrity of thecircuits and to permit rapid detachability and separability of the partsfor facilitating the making of connections, inspection and repair. Toaccomplish these and other ends, as will be more evident hereinafter,the circuit connecting means comprises a plurality of sets ofmatingcoupling members, each set including a male coupling member 17 anda female c oupling member 18 arranged to mate therewlth, the saidcoupling members being carried by insulation pieces or blocks which areremovably secured interiorly to the casing sections, the male couplingmembers 17, 17 being carried by a pair of blocks 19 and 19 whlch areremovably secured to the casing wall by means of the spaced bolts 20, 20threadedly receivable by an annular iiange or lug 21 formed integralwith the casing section 0 and the female coupling members 18, 18 beingcarried by fa lower pair of insulation blocks 22, -22' which areremovably attached by means of the spaced bolts 23 to the annular iangeor lug 24 formed integrally with the casing section c2.

The pair lof insulation blocks 19, 19', for t-he purpose of economy ofmanufacture and simplicity of assembly, are made alike and are turned inopposite directions, as clearly shown i'n the drawings, the blocks beingprovided with the plurality of sets of aligned openings 25, 25, each setreceiving the body of the coupling member 17, each of the openingsterminatingr in an enlargement 26 so that when the blocks are turnedwith similar ends l adjacent, t-he enlargements define a cavity whichseats an enlarged portion 17 formed intermediate the ends of the couplmgmembers 17. The lower pair of blocks 22 and 22? aresimilarly contouredto receive the bodies of the female coupling members 18, 18 and to Seatenlarged portions 18, 18 formed intermediate the ends of t-he femalecoupling members. Each of the coupling members is provided with an axialbore 27 at its outer end for receiving the ends of the circuitconductors 28, 28.

With this construction it will be apparent that the coupling members 17,17 and 18, 18 are held in position against axial displacement by theinsulation blocks, and that upon removal of the bolts 2O and 23 thecoupling members and insulating supports therefor may all be separatedfor permitting the attachment of the circuit conductors and forpermitting rapid inspection and repair. To prevent any rotativedisplacement of the coupling members in their insulating supports, theportions 17 and 18 maybe made square and the walls of the cavitiesdefined by the enlargements 26 may be similarly contoured, as clearlyshown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. With this construction, it will befurther evident that no means is employed for attaching the couplingmembers to the insulation supports so that under limited sacerequirements, maximum insulation lleakage paths, both surface anddielectric, are provided between the coupling members of differingcircuits.

WVhile I have shown my invention in the preferred. form, it will beobvious that many changes and modifications may be madev in thestructure disclosed Without departing from the spirit of the invent-ion,defined inv the following claim.

I claim:

An electric coupling device comprising a casing consisting of upper andlower mating sections,I means for removably securing the said sectionstogether to form a coupling unit, the upper ot' said sections beingprovided with a plurality of apertured ears for suspendedly attachingthe unit to a support, and being further provided with a protectivelydepending skirt overlapping the lowersection, the opposite ends of thesaid sections being threaded for receiving connecting conduits, a pairof twin separable blocks of insulation material in eachcasing section,the blocks of a pair having aligned openings terminating in adjacentenlargements defining a eavity, means for detachably securing each pairof blocks together and to its casing section, a coupling member receivedby the aligned openings in each pair of blocks and having a part seatedin said cavity whereby the coupling member is held in position againstaxial displacement? by and between the blocks of the pair when the sameis secured to the casing and is releasable from the blocks when the sameare separated, the coupling member of one pair of blocks being arrangedtomate with the coupling member in the other pair of blocks.

Signed at Niagara Falls, in the county of Niagara and State of New York,this 8th day of February, A. D. 1924.

FRED M. ROSENZVVEIG.

